DFRWS EU 2024. Zaragoza, Spain

I sent this article to Google’s LLM AI model “Gemini” to assess the contents on its likeliness to amassing readership. Here’s what I was told “Instead of dwelling on frustrations, offer tips on navigating conferences in a new city or overcoming language barriers.” Somehow the LLM believes that mentioning frustrations in life is some kind of futile venture that would turn people away; it might, but it also might bring others who enjoy a faithful retelling of reality as experienced by one’s mind as opposed to a sterilized and hygienized edit. This article is a retelling of my experience at DFRWS EU 2024. It tends to focus on my internal dialogue and thoughts as opposed to the academic and scientific lessons (which I believe the attendees have all been exposed to already). My target audience is the spiritual-leaning who have a taste for dark and dry humour, and thus the article has been so written. For the first time, I’ve decided to include excerpts written by my newfound companions Antonia, Charles, Dominique, Olivia, and Lux.

17-18/03/2024

Departed for Barcelona around 7 PM. At 4 PM, I attempted to cross security to no avail. They held me back for carrying my filled water bottle for which I was then escorted to the back of the line to empty. On attempt #2 they held me back to search my bag and found my teaching stick as it scanned like a suspicious weapon.

Boarded the flight with no knowledge of how to get around in Barcelona. Touching down, I needed to reach the Barcelona Sants train station to catch a train to Zaragoza-Delicias. From the Barcelona airport I purchased a metro ticket after speaking with the tourist center. Keep your eyes open, slow your breath, and look around. Help is always about. Took the metro, switched lines as advised, and always followed the most obvious signs for what I sought, and each time I found.

Train from Barcelona Sants to Zaragoza-Delicias

Purchased a train ticket at Barcelona Sants using a self-serve machine and Google Translate to understand the prompts. Boarded the train with 10 minutes to spare, and drifted in-and-out of sleep until the 1.75 hour trip was over. I deboarded to a vacant train station. Spoke to a lady for help purchasing Bus tickets; we used Google Translate to communicate in Spanish and English. She told me to buy the tickets on the bus itself and helped me collect the correct amount of change.

I walked to the bus stop, paid the driver, and proceeded to inconvenience all passengers with my excessively sized backpack and luggage. I was like hot oil in a pan; slipping and crashing into every surface available because of the erratic stop-go nature of the driver’s driving. I checked into the hotel, took a 4 hour nap, walked outside for an hour to scope out tomorrow’s territory while having a beautiful phone call with a friend back home. Went back to the hotel, made slides, leaving tomorrow’s workshop to fate.

Note: If you can’t speak Spanish, don’t say “Hola” or “Gracias”; it will just lead them to believe you can speak their language (it’s also cringe). Speak slow, point a lot, look into their eyes, and smile politely.

19/03/2024

This is the first day of DFRWS EU 2024. I awoke at 6 AM with only 3 hours of brief sleep. Worked out on the floor beside my bed, did hair, took the Tram. Tram in Zaragoza; pay for ticket at the machine at stop; it takes credit cards, cash, etc. Board the tram at any door, scan pass, await destination. Barely ever any space to sit, mostly standing room only.

Arrived at the Ada Byron campus early (7:59 AM) and watched Daryl instruct her team on the goings-on of the event. It was great to see her again, a sight always followed by a sense of being in the right place. She handed my badge and bag of merch amidst her busy morning. Spoke to a man from Holland who was nine feet tall. I may have bored him as he quickly said “I will go see my colleague” and left. I walked around and spoke to a man from ANSSI; he was glad I spoke French. We sucked in another participant who turned out to come from my very own Concordia University. Small world.

I attended one of the opening workshops which had us program in Python but the goal wasn’t clear to me, and much code was written that was never used. Strange. I am also cringed by jokes of long variable and function names. The next workshop was on deepfakes; audio could not be heard over the room speakers. We were then instructed to make our own deepfake using a public website and in turn to put it through a deepfake detection system on another public website. Not for me; I left. No hard feelings; I am impatient in particularly acute ways.

I found Mark Scanlon as he had a set of 17 USBs with my workshop VMs on them – not to mention extra USB-C adapters. I took inventory of his provisions to assert the proper return of the lot. This level of support is refreshing. The fact that he, across the world from me, cared enough to have my workshop run smoothly by putting in extra work is all one could ask for. Thank you for that Mark.

I missed lunch as I could not find it, and had a small call with Anis who was back home in Montreal and would be attending virtually to help support any issues. We got aligned, spoke shit, and were ready for the show.

The Workshop… Footsteps in the Dark: Finding our way to IoT device takeover via NVRAM forensics

In this four hour workshop, participants would learn how to detect one of the command injection vulnerabilities Anis and I discovered in Netgear’s EX6120 WiFi range extender. The vulnerability has been responsibly reported to Netgear, and they did make a public disclosure before the workshop, so we’re safe to discuss. Contents of the workshop are a slice of the full implementation Anis and I had worked on in our lab.

In the minutes before the workshop, Felix Freiling of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg helped setup the A/V. He was of great assistance and a delight to be around; a truly sweet man. To those he supervises, count your blessings. We desperately lacked power bars considering the power consumption of running VMs. I was concerned as well that participants would A) not have the VM installed ahead of time (correct!), and B) the VMs would fail to launch or be too slow (correct again!).

We started with only 2-3 power bars, but such abundance of bars and chords arrived than I could have hung myself from a plane in-flight. Many VMs had to be setup with Mark’s USBs; some succeeded, while others didn’t have enough HDD space, etc. We took about 40 minutes to setup and then we began the meat of it. For the next four hours, we laughed, sweated, and followed a set of 10 tasks Anis and I prepared for the participants. I did also provide a follow-along package with task descriptions and basic summarizing questions to help stay on track.

Once it was over, I received a plethora of comments, saying it was the best workshop at the conference (sorry Dominique), that it was extremely well organized, and that much was learnt. I did fly from Montreal, Canada to provide this workshop and thus do not take my or the participants’ time for granted. I come to perform. It was a fine opportunity to serve the DFRWS community. My hope is to come back and do more.

I called Anis to clear out our spirits and congratulate each other. Such conversations are important to dissipate the weighty locked-in sentiments of excitement, joy, and setbacks. Took the tram home and aboard it spoke to the man from ANSSI. I explained to him that some of us computer folk are not so social, and that at times I speak to people and they don’t really respond. He then proceeded to do exactly that.

Got to my hotel, washed my face, and went back out. There was a welcome reception at the Paraninfo Building, University of Zaragoza. I circled the place twice and went to every entrance but the correct one until I finally found it. On the way in I crossed-paths with Dominique (Dom) and we reintroduced ourselves as we had a semblance of memory meeting last year in Bonn. It was a true delight to speak with her, and as all attendees can attest to, she is a wonderful being.

I ate small and was not mooded for small talk. My neck and head hurt from the lack of sleep, so I tried to leave. A cyclical tour of the “museum” was blocking my exit, so I merged with it not to be rude. There I bumped into Olivia and Dom who giggled at my presence. The tour continued to the outside where I had a few sweet words with Olivia but my energies did not permit even the most base entertaining dialogue, and thus I took my leave. Bumped into Daryl who asked me “Already leaving?”, “Yes, I need to get some sleep.” At this point in my life, the scales have tipped from the longing to satisfy the feeling of missing out, to willingly removing myself from such situations in favour of proper bodily and mental maintenance.

As I rode the tram to the hotel, these were my thoughts.. exploration of a new country isn’t all that, and I do not understand its point. Granted, you become worldly. Sure, it helps to understand that cultures do things differently, but what of it? When others see my culture they sense the difference, and when I see theirs, I sense the difference. The meta-lesson is commutatively learnt, thus I ask why is traveling a goal in itself? How much architecture must I perceive in “awe”? And anyway, what are its takeaways? Inspiration? Talking points? It is all just musings for the ego. In the end, I want to be with people that my heart beats for, and to work on the things that bring me joy. Tours, drinks, foods and their particular tastes, the nuances of history, the facts, details, and eccentricities of other cultures… It’s the repeating meta-experience; see, feel, taste, sense, indulge, recollect and gloat, repeat. Most of the joys of life for me do not come from this, but from the focus upon the inner work. That which removes the tendencies I’ve acquired through life experience towards unveiling the underlying unfettered consciousness they mask. Do not see this as negativity and lack of appreciation for this experience, it’s simply a perspective on conscious enjoyment.

Slept for 4 of my 8 desired hours and opted for a lovely 4 AM call with a friend back home.

20/03/2024

This day would be a more relaxing one. Spent most of it observing presentations and preparing a lecture for my students back in Montreal. I did reconnect with Charles of Switzerland. Little did I know what great bond we would create in the following days. He and I did connect in Bonn as well, and Zaragoza proved to strengthen it. This highly inquisitive man asked about my future career and life paths. Who the fuck knows. To be frank, what brings me ultimate joy are threefold subjects: music, spirituality, and writing. What I fight every day is knowing I’m on a path that barely incorporates those three, and thus I spend all of my time outside of work in a mad dash of mental and temporal dispersal amongst these three desires. It is at times frustrating to realize that I treat my true loves like a side piece.

With the conference-day complete, I went back to my hotel, showered, and ironed my shirt and pants for the night banquet. Ironing consists of hanging my clothes in a locked bathroom with the shower on all-the-way hot for about 15-20 minutes. It works. In parallel I listened to music and worked out using both a towel splayed out over the floor, and desk chair for tricep dips.

Before heading out, I got a cappuccino at a nearby cafe. As one barista made my drink, the other one I caught glancing at me like some out-of-town gunslinger. I acknowledged her glance with a nod and left with an excellent beverage.

The banquet was located at NH Collection Gran Hotel de Zaragoza. I entered and waited calmly until I saw someone I knew. There was Charles! So I sat with him. Olivia joined and the three of us spoke about cats, and the newfound information that Charles the vegetarian could not eat the meat-filled appetizers. As we spoke, I noticed we were ignoring a woman in a red dress sitting just to my left. Out of curtesy, I began to speak with her. She is Antonia, an extremely smart and sharp-witted German woman working out of Leipzig. She explained her work duties and I thought she was quite pleasant to be around; it turns out she also attended my workshop! The four of us sat together at a table with other attendees whom we knew nothing of.

We had a table d’hôte style serving. Given Charles’ proclivity for vegetarianism, the night for him was a dietary struggle. In response to being fed fish, he requested a vegetarian meal. The chefs responded with a tiny bowl of well combined herbs and vegetables that was allegedly delicious, but for a man of Charles’ size, highly insufficient. Due to the language barrier, Antonia also received said bowl. When we were served a large lamb chop (which was effing great), he received another unfulfilling portion of food. As all the saints of the world have proclaimed; one must feed the hungry… thus I did sacrifice my saucy potato to his needy stomach.

Here we also learnt of Antonia’s deep interest for food, and her quirky distaste for hot, steamy, and unventilated rooms. Let’s get her opinion on the event…

It was my first time at the DFRWS conference. I have been at gatherings before but not one so big and not one with so many people coming from the same background. Meeting new people from almost all across the globe and discussing current topics from different point of views and places has broadened my horizons.

We also had the chance to get to know Zaragoza and Spanish culture a little better each day. Since I have never been to Spain before, I was impressed by the ambience and culinary diversity this country has to offer. The best thing was probably roaming around the city and making these new experiences with new people.

Thank you Spain for having me and thanks to all the people I have met for spending these days with me!

Antonia

That night together the four of us forged a deep bond that would extend until the end of the conference… Once the Rodeo started, we got up and said goodbye. I spotted Dom and complimented her outfit on the way out. She is so kind, expressive, and has a great funky style. She brings light to every situation she finds herself in. We took a heartfelt photo together which made its way to our dear friend who could not make it to this edition of DFRWS (dear Mr. Seb).

I walked Olivia home and we strolled around until 12:30 AM sharing the stories of our lives. It was a beautiful and splendid day.

I took an Uber back to the hotel costing only 3€ more than the tram. Couldn’t sleep for another 3 hours. I did receive many heartfelt compliments on our workshop today, and for this, I am extremely proud. Another mission nailed, and more to come.

21/03/2024

This day was a true banger. It started with a later rise due to the later sleep the night before. For my students back in Montreal, I spent two hours recording a lecture in my hotel room before heading to the conference. I caught a quick lunch and grabbed a seat with Olivia for the remaining presentations. The presentations quickly ended and Olivia, Antonia, Noah, Sean and Charles joined forces to visit some of the city. We walked aside the Ebro river, and stopped for some cured sausage (Antonia’s request) which were utterly delicious. We also hit Plaza del Pilar for iced cream at Gelati Dino. We sat together on the Plaza steps and shot shit as a one-legged accordion player approached. He’d play a tune right in your ear hole, forcing you to either withstand the annoyance for some time, or pay to have him leave. I chose the former; builds my patience.

It was then time to reach the event of the night at CIERZO Brewing Co. It was a dimly lit bar with a standing-room only section reserved for the conference. Tables bordered the walls with food and self-serve beer contraptions. Charles stood guard at the vegetarian table. The good forces of existence finally provisioned the food he so longed and deserved. A bigger smile one could not find. Here we let Charles speak his mind about the event…

Three weeks after attending the DFRWS EU conference in Zaragoza, Spain, I’m still buzzing from the connections and energy! The hands-on workshops were incredibly valuable, providing practical insights into cutting-edge, python frameworks, LLM applications and NVRAM forensics with the goal to take over IoT devices. The research papers offered a glimpse into the momentum of the field offering invaluable insight. However, beyond the technical knowledge, the most inspiring aspect was the vibrant and energetic community. Meeting passionate researchers and practitioners from all over the world, from academia to government and private sectors, was truly amazing. I deepened existing connections, made new international contacts, and left feeling even more motivated for the future. For this I am very grateful. This conference is a must-attend for anyone in the field, and I can’t wait to meet up with everyone again at next year’s event in Brno, Czech Republic!

Charles

Noah and I spoke for some time with a man I named Spiderman. Why? He’s an Australian boy who told many a chilling spider tales. In one instance, he recollected spotting a large spider at the screen of his window to which he offered a brutal drenching of insect repellent. He later went outside to find the assumedly-dead monstrosity, but it was gone. That spider took itself a cup of insecticide for breakfast and smoothly strolled away, suitcase in hand. And thus he be known as Spiderman.

Noah, Charles, and Spiderman mocked my beer after I returned from a self-serve machine with a cup of foam. At the next refill, we went together to experience my poor pouring. Charles took the stage to show me how it was done, and poured an arguably worse cup for himself. This time, I did it right.

I will tell the rest of the story alongside Dom and Olivia, where my parts are in black font, Dom’s in blue, and Olivia’s in green...

Since last year in Bonn, I knew that I definitely wanted to attend the DFRWS EU conference again. So it was wonderful to see old friends again and meet new ones in Spain. Never before had it been so easy for me to talk to people from all over the world, even in a foreign language. Our last night out at DFRWS was full of cultural exchanges. After the last social event ended, a group of us decided to venture to find a little more fun to get into. We somehow managed to accumulate a party of 10, with new additions of Ciprian of Romania, Lux of (now) the United Kingdom, and Silvia of Italy. Walking around, we made witness to a store selling figurines of the Spanish Holy Week (easter) that look a hell of a lot like the Ku Klux Klan. We could not believe the similarity. Nothing to fear (yet), as participants in the holy week ceremonies often wear the similar capirote (pointed hats) to symbolize penitence and closeness to God (hence the tall points of the hood oriented towards the heavens).

We stumbled upon a bar that was self-described as an experimental bar called Moonlight Experimental Bar. It was a very modern, cocktail centric establishment. But something felt different about the bar the moment we walked in. We were handed two versions of the menu to order drinks; the “regular menu” had cocktail names and ingredients, and the “fun” menu had cocktails listed only by name, no ingredients. To order a drink off the “fun” menu, you’d have to sing lyrics listed for the cocktail of choice in Spanish. Most of us took a walk on the wild side when ordering.

Some cocktails had walnuts and were presented on a platform. One came with a light inside it. Another was brought out on what appeared to be an old ice cream churning machine. It turned a fresh watermelon into slush. One was a full-on three part gravity based titration rig that poured the different elements of the drink for you. We tried the most unconventional cocktail creations you can imagine. There were various flavours from blue cheese to matcha ice cream. You rarely experience a night like this in your life with such a great group of people. For my cocktail, it came in an elongated style cylindrical glass with the top covered, and a hole half way up the middle of the cylinder. A cute citron flower garnished the flat glass top.

A Szechuan Button produces a startling tingling sensation on the tongue, akin to eating “Nerds” candy, that increases salivation and creates a more vivid sense of taste. I asked the bartender for a set of these buttons for the entire table; some were awestruck, and others found the sensation alarming. It did bring to my intellect the idea of the power of plants; how is it I could spend my entire 30 years on this earth and not be aware, or even diminish such powers?

We laughed all through our time together. There was a bitterness in my heart in light of the fast approaching departure looming just over the horizon. In our minds, we all knew that in less than 24 hours none of us would see each other for another year, or ever again. That didn’t seem to hinder our joys. The night went on, and in one occasion myself and another member of the table made a deal; if he licked the porcelain nipple provided alongside my drink, then I would too. He proceeded to do so with embarrassingly amateurish tact (sorry, but it’s true). Nevertheless I followed up and satisfied my duties as promised.

It is fascinating to get to know not only of forensic experiences but also different points of view, and to talk openly about a wide range of topics. Especially with people you haven’t known for so long, it’s incredibly fun to find out what is on their minds. Needless to say, our party of 10 had non-stop things to talk about on our night out. Our cultures were spread from all over the globe 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇮🇪 🇮🇹 🇨🇭 🇷🇴 We had so much fun, we hadn’t realized the place had been closed for 30 minutes when we received the bill. Our bond started in forensics, but spread to so much more. It made it hard to leave. It was the last night and many of us had return trips home the next day. Luckily, this bond did not end at the conference or at this science fair… I mean bar. Thank you Moonlight for a truly magical experience. Thank you for making my time in Zaragoza unforgettable. I’m already looking forward to next year, when we can enjoy a cocktail and talk about all the exciting events that have happened in the world of the forensic community during the past year. See you soon! ✨

[End of Dominique and Olivia’s writings]

Outside the bar we shared a few words and took a group photo. I shared with Lux my fascination with the Bhagavad Gita, having read a large portion of it some years ago. My sense about Lux is that she’s quite open and adventurous, and is limitless in her perception of the reachable. Let us hear from her now…

The Digital Forensic Research Workshop (DFRWS) that went down in Zaragoza, Spain was a real gathering of the minds, with people from all over the globe coming together to swap stories, insights, and knowledge of the digital forensics world. 

What made this event stand out was the diverse mix of attendees: professionals, experts, and enthusiasts, each bringing their own flavour to the table. And let me tell you, it was a real eye-opener hearing about all the different perspectives and experiences. Diving into workshops like “Third-Party App Analysis in Mobile Forensics” and “Forensic Deepfake Analysis” was absolutely mind-blowing. 

The whole event was super well-organized. I learnt tons of fresh insights and also made some excellent connections in the field. Plus, they made sure to include events like the Digital Forensics Rodeo and teamed up with Women in Forensic Computing (WinFC) to keep things diverse and inclusive. 

I gotta say, I’m pretty sure I found my lifelong buds from this conference! Meeting people from all walks of life, different cultures, different backgrounds, really made the experience pop. It just goes to show how important global perspectives are in shaping the future of digital forensics. 

Overall, DFRWS ain’t just about advancing the field – it’s about building a tight-knit community that’s ready to tackle whatever comes our way in the world of tech and security. 

Shri Lakchudha Prabath Kumar [Lux]

As we shot shit at the early hour, out came Mark and his troupe from around the corner on their way to the next “bar”. He pointed assertively in the direction like a sailor navigating towards land without pause; a man on a mission. Such a strange coincidence. This “bar” turned out to be somewhat of a club where it was hot, sweaty, and loud (Antonia’s favourite). I entertained the idea for about 2 seconds before I decided to go back to my hotel room and sleep. Not my vibe. What we took with us that night were memories that could never be created at home; a bond mixing folks with different backgrounds finding themselves in a new country and city, all eager to acquaint, respect, love, and learn from each other.

22/03/2024

Slept as much as I could (4-5 hours) and quickly hopped on an Uber towards the La Aljafería palace where a tour would begin shortly. I’m not particularly interested in tours but this morning we had two lined up; one of the aforementioned palace, followed by a tour of the city and the inside of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica. I went along with the motions of which I will not detail for lack of personal interest. In no way is my grumpiness a reflection of others’ experience.

Towards the end of the final tour, we had lost Sean to his flight. I gave him a hug and told him we’d keep in contact. From 10 we became 9. Energies were thinning. Shortly after we were lead to a tight interconnected alleyway with innumerable tapas bars where we had seemingly lost contact with the rest of the conference attendees. And thus is the fashion in which DFRWS EU 2024 ended; dispersed amongst the labyrinthine perpendicular offshoots of choice and chaos; busy delivery men running about with barrels on trolleys excusing and pushing their way through the mess of the wandering hungry and culinary indulgent; all the while our hearts desperately looking for proper closure amongst this aggressively rushed end.

The day wasn’t over; we assembled our remaining troupe at a nearby restaurant. Dom and Silvia met us there and bid us a lengthy farewell as I grabbed a final photo with Dom. It is not often we encounter such terrific beings; but this is one and there she goes. From 9 we became 7.

Not much talking during our meal. We were all clearly spent. It is startling that much of Europe charges (a hefty fee) for water; it is much different here in Montreal where water is free to drink no matter the establishment. Strange because the University in Zaragoza provided self-serve water fountains.

After lunch we headed back to the plaza to have an iced cream and sit together. We looked around and wondered what we’d do. We were tired. At this point, Ciprian and Lux left us; we hugged them and said a final farewell. 7 became 5. The troupe agreed we should nap and reconvene at night for a final supper. Unfortunately it was Charles’ turn to leave before that. I will truly miss Charles… He and I shared a great many conversations about our lives and in such a short time I came to enjoy his company and presence. My wish is to someday meet him again and continue where we left off. 5 became 4; Antonia, Olivia, Noah, and myself.

A two-hour nap happened, and it rejuvenated my energies for the rest of the night. The rise after a nap is always unruly. We met at Restaurante La Tagliatella. It was cheese night for this boy; four cheese pizza with a side of burrata. This was a real four cheese; you could still see and smell the four separate cheeses. Good heavens. It was a sweet time shared between the four of us seated outside on this quiet night. We hit an outdoor bar after our hefty meal. It seems we did not want to part ways. After two drinks and dissipating every last thought conversationally, it did seem time to say our final goodbyes. With unease, we got up and hugged each other deeply. I thanked Antonia for her desire and drive to explore the city with us, and that I appreciated her. Noah and I shared a comical bond and found we had a similar sense of humour and interest in music and drummers (he is a drummer himself). We parted ways and I walked Olivia home. The night ended with much satisfaction, love, and bittersweetness in my heart… 4 became 1

Another wondrous iteration of DFRWS EU comes to a close. As with all realities, our experience of them is limited, and ends draw near as new beginnings spring forth. Thus those who would be sorrowful of last year’s event ending when the likes of 2024 immediately began its approach would likely repeat their sorrows at this’ ending. These such humans are captives of the cyclic ebb and flow of joys and sorrows. It is a misapprehension of reality to let endings create sweeping emotional turmoil. We must handle all joys and sorrows centred about a mind in equipoise. To be disturbed by endings indicates a failure to understand beginnings.

On to Barcelona for the next week.